[FM12] Now You Do Not Punish Someone, English Or Otherwise, For Being Rubbish At FM...

[SnakeXe]

If you're just watching highlights then presumably that's just the goals, and a common source of goals is defensive mistakes.

To me it seems just as realistic as the previous couple of editions, a well set up defense will defend well, and I've been able to implement both deep, rigid defenses and high, pressing, relatively fluid defenses to good effect.

[Pangaea]

That's a valid point of course, but the type of goals being conceded/scored all over the place has worried me.

Won't be able to witness it myself though, as I've made the decision to not get this year's game. Here's hoping FM13 brings good news.

[SnakeXe]

Just noticed my first bug!

Home-grown in nation (0-21) players don't show up in the European squad selection as home grown in nation. Irritating, as I bought in a few players (like Cisse and Reiß) on the strength of them giving a boost to that quota.

[AK22]

Just noticed my first bug!

Home-grown in nation (0-21) players don't show up in the European squad selection as home grown in nation. Irritating, as I bought in a few players (like Cisse and Reiß) on the strength of them giving a boost to that quota.

Unfortunately, something like this happened last year too. You could see from your main squad screen that they had home-grown status, but when it came to selecting European squads, their selection did not register as one of the eight HG player allocation. It is somewhat irksome, especially if you're signing players for this specific benefit.

[Deisler26]

That's a valid point of course, but the type of goals being conceded/scored all over the place has worried me.

Won't be able to witness it myself though, as I've made the decision to not get this year's game. Here's hoping FM13 brings good news.

I disagree in that I'm playing defensive football and we seem to do OK

[SnakeXe]

Unfortunately, something like this happened last year too. You could see from your main squad screen that they had home-grown status, but when it came to selecting European squads, their selection did not register as one of the eight HG player allocation. It is somewhat irksome, especially if you're signing players for this specific benefit.

I seem to remember that was something to do with patching between 11.2 and 11.3 that messed that up. Same problem though, yeah.

[SnakeXe]

Season 10: Halfway House Update

The DFL-Supercup again offered us an early season opportunity for silverware, and we didn't disappoint, seeing off DFB-Pokal holders Wolfsburg 1-0, with usual suspect Tainha proving the difference.

We had a difficult start to contend with in the league, with away games against all three of our title rivals within the first six games. Unfortunately, we lost all three despite proving a match for the opposition in all three games. A rare injury for Tainha definitely didn't help, especially as he had previously scored 6 in two starts and one substitute appearance. Fortunately, we won the other three games in that opening six, so there was no hint of a crisis.

Home draws against Hoffenheim and Mainz were actually of more concern, as we were back to our old profligate ways, but a return to a settled team and, more importantly, defence, saw us collect maximum points from all the other games this year, a run of 7 consecutive clean sheets in all competitions showing our prowess - we've scored 22 times since the last opposition goal against us. Considering our record is really very good, it's a little galling to be sat in 4th at this stage of the season. Unbeaten Leverkusen are out in front with a 7 point advantage over us, whilst Dortmund and Bayern are tied on a point above.

In the DFB-Pokal there were no repeats of last year's disaster as we've sailed through all three rounds played so far, Koblenz and Rostock from 2. Bundesliga and St. Pauli from the top-flight the limited opposition.

In Europe we had a tough-ish group, with Real Madrid, Zenit and FC Kobenhavn to get past. No way to start like one of the toughest fixtures in European football, and we gave a decent enough account of ourselves in 1-0 defeat in the Bernebeu. A 3-0 home win over Zenit got the ball rolling, with a 4-0 over Kobenhavn following. Unfortunately Kobenhavn held firm in Denmark in grabbing a spawny 0-0 to end our realistic hopes of winning the group, but we were still in the position that a win in either remaining game would see us through.

We got that with an immensely satisfying 2-0 home win over Real, before finally getting my first away Champions League win in St. Petersburg through a Serkan Aydin brace.

French-Qataris Paris Saint-Germain are our intimidating opposition in the next round. I'd be gutted about not taking the group win (which we would have done with a victory away in Denmark), but Real are up against holders Arsenal so they don't have it much easier.

The Good

• Progression in Europe
  
• Alan Baena has been remarkable - more goals and more assists than anyone else in the squad - 14 and 12 in 20 starts respectively
  
• The backup strikers I brought in already have twice as many goals as the ones last season managed in the whole campaign
  

The Bad

• Leverkusen look pretty unstoppable
  
• PSG will be very difficult to get past
  
• The finances don't look like allowing me much room to push past our current level
  

Results - League Table - Squad

[Nordan]

[*]Leverkusen look pretty unstoppable

[*]PSG will be very difficult to get past

[*]The finances don't look like allowing me much room to push past our current level

Good first half of the season really,just 04 having a stormer.

Do I sense "maybe it's time to move on" in there somewhere?

[SnakeXe]

The only situation I'd consider moving on at the end of this season would be if we won the lot (which is very unlikely I think!).

Because we have a good number of young players in the squad, with some potentially world class guys like Careca just a couple of years from being at a really high level, I think it's worth staying even if I can't splash the cash. The squad can mature even without investment.

Out of interest what would people like to see as my next move? Should I stay in Germany and take on another club without the millstone of a stadium loan, or go to another country - perhaps reacquaint myself with Italy? Back home to England to prove myself at the highest level there? Or even head to another continent?

[Nordan]

Out of interest what would people like to see as my next move? Should I stay in Germany and take on another club without the millstone of a stadium loan, or go to another country - perhaps reacquaint myself with Italy? Back home to England to prove myself at the highest level there? Or even head to another continent?

Bremen is a big club so moving to another German club seems a bit pointless,better to possibly return there at some point...

a fallen giant in Italy or Spain maybe?

But more to the point,anywhere is interesting when it's well played and well written.It's always nice to learn about leagues off the beaten path too,for me that would be leagues like Mexico,Chile,all of Africa and Asia and Eastern Europe.

I got carried away,I will read no matter where you decide to go

[deadfncat]

Scotland! or Finland

[SRL88]

Just caught up on this. Nice move to Germany, I love this league (Hoffenheim ). The finances in Germany are very annoying. You will continue to make a loss each month as there is no income until the end of the season. Check the rules out just to see how much you get for finishing 5th , its cool. Champions League money helps a lot as well!!!!

[AK22]

You're on a exceptional run of form at the moment, 17 unbeaten, 7 without conceding

Can't see Leverkusen maintaining their streak for too much longer, you just need to be close enough to take advantage of any slip up.

I think a South America adventure would be quite interesting, but I'd probably stay another season or two with Werder to establish them as the best club in Germany.

[SnakeXe]

Bremen is a big club so moving to another German club seems a bit pointless,better to possibly return there at some point...

a fallen giant in Italy or Spain maybe?

But more to the point,anywhere is interesting when it's well played and well written.It's always nice to learn about leagues off the beaten path too,for me that would be leagues like Mexico,Chile,all of Africa and Asia and Eastern Europe.

I got carried away,I will read no matter where you decide to go

Yeah I'm enjoying managing in a league I've not managed in before, so perhaps I should continue that trend? I've maybe done 3 seasons in France ever on CM/FM so that'd be a good one to go for. Maybe if I took on Lille or someone similar and tried to challenge the financial might of PSG that'd be interesting. Portugal is another option, I think I did one season with Porto ages ago and that's it.

Scotland! or Finland

Why would I want to go to a backward European cess-pit of footballing awfulness? Or Finland?

Just caught up on this. Nice move to Germany, I love this league (Hoffenheim ). The finances in Germany are very annoying. You will continue to make a loss each month as there is no income until the end of the season. Check the rules out just to see how much you get for finishing 5th, its cool. Champions League money helps a lot as well!!!!

Yeah the league prize money and season tickets seem to form a sort of buffer that you just chew away on over the rest of the season! There's a decent wedge to be made in the latter stages of the cup as well.

As I set most of my transfer spending in that first summer off over 48 months, I've got to be fairly careful until that's paid off. The payments would probably only fail to be sustainable for the club if we were relegated, which isn't a huge concern, so I'm happy with the risk. I don't want to be laying too much more on that though, so future transfers will probably have to be up front using the CL money (since that's going to be pretty much pure profit I hope).

[SnakeXe]

You're on a exceptional run of form at the moment, 17 unbeaten, 7 without conceding

Can't see Leverkusen maintaining their streak for too much longer, you just need to be close enough to take advantage of any slip up.

I think a South America adventure would be quite interesting, but I'd probably stay another season or two with Werder to establish them as the best club in Germany.

Yeah just a case of clinging to the coat tails, much as they did with us last season. Hopefully we'll take full advantage of a slip-up, which they just about failed to do.

I'm very happy at Werder both with enjoying the game and it being good for my in-game career prospects. I'm wondering whether I should establish myself as a top-class manager in Europe and then head out to other continents, or whether I should head off on a bit of a world tour soon and then come back to Europe - maybe even England, maybe even Newcastle - to finish the job? The latter is definitey appealing to my sense of sentimentality and occasion...

[HotChocolate]

Thats the joy of the German league, there are so many teams that can actually challenge for the title but I'm sure you'll be able to peg Leverkusen back!

[City2000]

Cracking form from Leverkusen, going to be tough to better that over the second half of the season but you have not exactly been in bad form yourself of late so you never know.

Great progress in Europe aswell, nice win over Real

[SRL88]

Yeah the league prize money and season tickets seem to form a sort of buffer that you just chew away on over the rest of the season! There's a decent wedge to be made in the latter stages of the cup as well.

As I set most of my transfer spending in that first summer off over 48 months, I've got to be fairly careful until that's paid off. The payments would probably only fail to be sustainable for the club if we were relegated, which isn't a huge concern, so I'm happy with the risk. I don't want to be laying too much more on that though, so future transfers will probably have to be up front using the CL money (since that's going to be pretty much pure profit I hope).

On my Hoffe save I constantly run at a loss each month due to the 48 month payments on transfers to. Luckily, 90% of mine are now paid off (until the summer anyway). I would say that I have roughly a £20-30m loss per season, depending on how much I have spent and wages etc, but when I win the league (10 in a row ), that gives me £20m, plus how well we perform in Europe which gives me another £20m, and like you say, the latter stages of the German Cup pays nicely to, you tend to make a nice little profit at the end of the season.

[SnakeXe]

SnakeXe's Career - Season 10 - 2021/22

Story of the Season:

1. Bundesliga - 2nd

We did pretty much exactly what Leverkusen did last season in clinging on for dear life, catching up when they had a slip up, and then bottling it when the opportunity actually came to actually getting a grip on the race. We were just 1 point behind with 3 remaining - in one of which they had to face Dortmund away, so we still had a great chance. Unfortunately Eryilmaz decided to cap an awful season for himself and get sent off with seconds on the clock of our third to last game against Schalke and rob us of any chance to put some pressure on. Dortmund naturally capitulated to hand them the title with a game to spare.

DFB-Pokal - Semi-final (lost v Schalke)

HSV were summarily destroyed in the quarter-final before a shocking performance in front of goal saw us lose to rivals Schalke in the semi.

DFL-Supercup - Winners

Retained our title with a 1-0 win over Wolfsburg.

Champions League - Semi-final (lost v Fiorentina)

A 3-2 win over PSG in the first leg was a good result, the 2-0 win in Paris even better. Celtic were the plum draw of the Quarter-Finals, and we made short work of them, with a 2-0 home win and a 2-1 loss at Parkhead. Fiorentina, conquerors of Tottenham, were the last team in our path before a possible all-German final with Dortmund, who took on Arsenal.

A 0-0 in the Artemio Franchi was a good result, going 2-0 down to their first 3 shots on goal in the home leg was not. We utterly battered them, taking it back to 2-1 before Ekici "did an Eryilmaz" and missed a penalty. I'm not pleased with my Turks this year.

Dortmund went on to win the final.

Results 1 - Results 2 - Squad

Transfers - £5.5M spent

A quiet season on this front with mostly youthful promise replacing tired old hands. Gil was a noteable and successful exception.

Finances

The Champions League TV money made a nice difference this year - basically doubling our revenue from couch potatoes.

5 Most Important Players:

If you're wondering about the missing presence of Tainha and Eryilmaz, they were both shudderingly awful for large parts of this season.

5. Matthias Zimmermann - DRLC/WBR/DM/MC - The versatile German has been a revalation since conversion to left back - 10 assists speak for themselves.

4. Careca - M/AMC - Decent enough season, did plenty to suggest he'll one day make that attacking midfield role his own.

3. Gil - DC - Only played half the season due to injury but was incredible when he did.

2. Alexander Reiß - ST - Surpassed all expectations to outscore and outperform Tainha.

1. Alan Baena - ML/AMRLC - Leading scorer and assist maker. Amazing.

History:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Season  | Team            | League                | Country      |  Position | Notes                                                 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2012/13 | Weymouth        | Blue Square South     | England      |  2nd      | Playoff Semi-finalists                                |
| 2013/14 | Weymouth        | Blue Square South     | England      |  3rd      | Resigned in October                                   |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2013/14 | Darlington      | Blue Square Premier   | England      |  14th     | 15th on arrival in October                            |
| 2014/15 | Darlington      | Blue Square Premier   | England      |  2nd      | Playoff Winners                                       |
| 2015/16 | Darlington      | League Two            | England      |  16th     | Resigned in January                                   |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2015/16 | Southend United | League One            | England      |  21st     | Relegated, 24th on arrival in March                   |
| 2016/17 | Southend United | League Two            | England      |  1st      | League Two Champions                                  |
| 2017/18 | Southend United | League One            | England      |  2nd      | Promoted                                              |
| 2018/19 | Southend United | Championship          | England      |  17th     | Resigned in October                                   |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2018/19 | Wigan Athletic  | Championship          | England      |  4th      | 13th on arrival in October, Playoff Winners           |
| 2019/20 | Wigan Athletic  | Premier League        | England      |  15th     | Left in December                                      |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2019/20 | Werder Bremen   | 1. Bundesliga         | Germany      |  8th      | 14th on arrival in December, DFB-Pokal Winners        |
| 2020/21 | Werder Bremen   | 1. Bundesliga         | Germany      |  1st      | B'liga Champions, Supercup Winners, EL Semi-Finalists |
| 2021/22 | Werder Bremen   | 1. Bundesliga         | Germany      |  2nd      | Supercup Winners, CL & DFB-Pokal Semi-Finalists       |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next Season:

So close to so much, but in a way it's nice that it hasn't come too easily. I think the aim has to be to win something slightly more prestigious than the DFL-Supercup. Slightly gutting that Dortmund picked up a Champions League and DFB-Pokal double and Leverkusen the Bundesliga and Europa League whilst we're left empty handed. Especially as Dortmund capitulated to hand Leverkusen the title. It's all a bit incestuous if you ask me.

I think I'm getting a Sir Alex style persecution complex.

[SnakeXe]

Former Club Watch:

Weymouth F.C.:

Only stayed in the playable leagues because of Farnborough entering administration. Dark times for the Terras.

Season    League                  Position  Notes                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012/13*  Blue Square South       2nd       Playoff semi-finalists
2013/14*  Blue Square South       9th       I left in October (resigned)
2014/15   Blue Square South       10th      -
2015/16   Blue Square South       19th      -
2016/17   Blue Square South       9th       FA Cup 2nd Round
2017/18   Blue Square South       3rd       Playoff Winners
2018/19   Blue Square Premier     21st      Relegated
2019/20   Blue Square South       14th      -
2020/21   Blue Square South       14th      -
2021/22   Blue Square South       19th      -

NB * indicates that I was in charge for at least part of the season.

Darlington F.C.:

Much better for Darlo, unluckily losing in the playoff semi-finals.

Season    League                  Position  Notes                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2013/14*  Blue Square Premier     14th      I joined in October
2014/15*  Blue Square Premier     2nd       Playoff Winners
2015/16*  League Two              18th      I left in January (resigned)
2016/17   League Two              17th      JPT North Quarter Final
2017/18   League Two              15th      FA Cup 3rd Round
2018/19   League Two              3rd       Promoted
2019/20   League One              22nd      Relegated, FA Cup 4th Round
2020/21   League Two              20th      -
2021/22   League Two              6th       FA Cup 4th Round, Playoff Semifinalists

Southend United:

Really steady progress here - delighted for them.

Season    League                  Position  Notes                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015/16*  League One              21st      Relegated, I joined in March
2016/17*  League Two              1st       League Two Winners
2017/18*  League One              2nd       Promoted
2018/19*  Championship            15th      I left in October (resigned)
2019/20   Championship            20th      -
2020/21   Championship            12th      FA Cup 5th Round
2021/22   Championship            9th       -

Wigan Athletic:

Thankfully managed to win a rapid re-promotion - their squad is easily Premier League mid-table so anything less would have been a disaster. Dropped out of the Europa League at the group stage, finishing 3rd behind Ajax and PAOK.

Season    League                  Position  Notes                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018/19*  Championship            4th       I joined in October, Playoff Winners
2019/20*  Premier League          11th      I left in December (job offer)
2020/21   Premier League          18th      League Cup Winners, Relegated
2021/22   Championship            2nd       Promoted, League Cup Quarter-finalists

[SnakeXe]

Couldn't wangle a rise, but it'll do.

[deltablue]

Must have been rubbish just missing out this time.

[SnakeXe]

2022 FIFA World Cup

Hosts: Qatar

Holders: Ghana

Group Stage:

Group A

| Pos   | Inf   | Team        |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Egypt       |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 8     | 2     | +6    | 7     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Ecuador     |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 6     | 3     | +3    | 7     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Switzerland |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 4     | 5     | -1    | 3     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Qatar       |       | 3     | 0     | 0     | 3     | 1     | 9     | -8    | 0     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Group B

| Pos   | Inf   | Team        |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Brazil      |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 5     | 3     | +2    | 6     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Belgium     |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 5     | 3     | +2    | 6     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Mexico      |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 4     | 4     | 0     | 6     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | South Korea |       | 3     | 0     | 0     | 3     | 2     | 6     | -4    | 0     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Group C

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Argentina     |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 7     | 4     | +3    | 7     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Turkey        |       | 3     | 1     | 2     | 0     | 4     | 3     | +1    | 5     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | United States |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 5     | 4     | +1    | 4     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Uzbekistan    |       | 3     | 0     | 0     | 3     | 1     | 6     | -5    | 0     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Group D

| Pos   | Inf   | Team    |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Morocco |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 4     | 2     | +2    | 7     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Canada  |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 5     | 2     | +3    | 4     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Spain   |       | 3     | 0     | 3     | 0     | 2     | 2     | 0     | 3     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th   |       | Sweden  |       | 3     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 1     | 6     | -5    | 1     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Group E

| Pos   | Inf   | Team    |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Italy   |       | 3     | 3     | 0     | 0     | 12    | 2     | +10   | 9     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Croatia |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 6     | 6     | 0     | 4     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Nigeria |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 2     | 7     | -5    | 3     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | China   |       | 3     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 1     | 6     | -5    | 1     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Group F

| Pos   | Inf   | Team     |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | France   |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 6     | 3     | +3    | 7     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Serbia   |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 8     | 5     | +3    | 6     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Ghana    |       | 3     | 0     | 2     | 1     | 2     | 4     | -2    | 2     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Honduras |       | 3     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 0     | 4     | -4    | 1     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Group G

| Pos   | Inf   | Team     |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | England  |       | 3     | 3     | 0     | 0     | 6     | 0     | +6    | 9     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Colombia |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 3     | 1     | +2    | 4     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Iran     |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 2     | 6     | -4    | 3     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Germany  |       | 3     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 1     | 5     | -4    | 1     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Group H

| Pos   | Inf   | Team        |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Algeria     |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 5     | 3     | +2    | 6     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Netherlands |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 4     | 2     | +2    | 4     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Austria     |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 2     | 4     | -2    | 4     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Chile       |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 3     | 5     | -2    | 3     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Knockout Stage:

Second Round:

Egypt 4 v 0 Belgium

Brazil 4 v 0 Ecuador

Argentina 3 v 3p Canada

Morocco 1 v 3 Turkey

Italy 0 v 2 Serbia

Croatia 0 v 2 France

Netherlands 2 v 2p England

Colombia 1 v 0 Algeria

Quarter Final:

Egypt 1 v 0 Turkey

Brazil 2 v 0 Canada

Serbia 2 v 0 Colombia

France 2 v 1 England

Semi Final:

Egypt 2 v 0 France

Brazil 1 v 0 Serbia

Third Place Playoff:

Serbia 0 v 1 France

Final:

Brazil 2 v 1 Egypt

Heartbreak for Egypt as they fall just short of becoming the second African World Cup winners, after Ghana's achievement in Russia.

[ShyBaldBuddhist]

The Fiorentina result must have been hard to take, should have won it by a couple of goals. Better luck next year

[SnakeXe]

World Club Football... 10 Years On

Okay I'm aware that it's 11 years on because I holidayed the first season, but it's 10 years into my career and I'm the protagonist of this thread! Basically I'm just going to list the title winners and how often they've won it from each country and then for each of the continental championships and Club World Cup.

Argentina

Boca Juniors x10

Independiente, Velez x4

Belgrano, Estudiantes (LP) x1

Australia

Melbourne Victory x3

Adelaide United, Sydney FC x2

Perth Glory, Newcastle United Jets, Central Coast Mariners, Brisbane Roar x1

Brazil

Corinthians, Santos x4

Flamengo, Palmeiras x1

China

Beijing x4

Guangzhou x3

Fuli x2

Tianjin x1

England

Manchester United x8

Tottenham Hotspur x2

Manchester City x1

France

Olympique Lyonnais x9

Marseille, Paris Saint-Germain x1

Germany

FC Bayern x5

Dortmund, Leverkusen x2

Freiburg, Werder Bremen x1

India

Mohun Bagan x5

Pune FC, Salgaocar x2

Churchill Bros, Dempo x1

Ireland

Shamrock Rovers x9

Sligo Rovers x1

Italy

AC Milan x4

Fiorentina x3

Inter, Juventus x2

Mexico

Chivas x5

Pachuca, Pumas, Monterrey x3

America (MEX), Morelia x2

Xolos Tijuana, Atlante, Tigres x1

Netherlands

Ajax, PSV x4

Vitess x2

FC Twente x1

Northern Ireland

Linfield x8

Crusaders x3

Portugal

Benfica x6

Porto, Sporting CP x2

Braga x1

Russia

CSKA Moscow x10

Spartak Moscow x1

Scotland

Celtic x8

Rangers x2

Dundee x1

South Africa

Orlando Pirates x4

Kaizer Chiefs, Ajax CT x2

Sundowns, SuperSport Utd, FS Stars x1

South Korea

Suwon x5

Seoul x3

Seongnam, Sangju x1

Spain

Barcelona, Real Madrid x5

Valencia x1

USA

Los Angeles x3

DC United x2

Toronto FC, Houston, New York, Colorado, Chivas USA x1

Wales

Llanelli x5

Aberystwyth x3

Neath x2

Haverfordwest x1

-----

Africa (CAF Champions League)

ES Tunis (Tunisia), Al-Ahly (Egypt) x4

Club Africain (Tunisia) CS Sfax (Tunisia) x1

Asia (AFC Champions League)

Al-Ittihad (KSA) (Saudi Arabia), Al-Ahli (KSA) (Saudi Arabia) x2

Nagoya Stolz (Japan), Suwon (South Korea), Al-Hilal (KSA) (Saudi Arabia), Seoul (South Korea), Sepahan (Iran), Fuli (China) x1

Europe (UEFA Champions League)

Manchester United (England), Real Madrid (Spain) x2

Barcelona (Spain), Chelsea (England), Liverpool (England), AC Milan (Italy), Paris Saint-Germain (France), Arsenal (England), Dortmund (Germany) x1

North America (CONCACAF Champions League)

Chivas (Mexico) x3

Pumas (Mexico), Cruz Azul (Mexico) x2

Monterrey (Mexico), Los Angeles (USA), Atlante (Mexico), America (MEX) (Mexico) x1

Oceania (OFC Champions League - Unplayable)

Auckland City (New Zealand) x7

Waitakere United (New Zealand) x4

South America (Copa Libertadores)

Corinthians (Brazil), Boca Juniors (Argentina), Flamengo (Brazil), Santos (Brazil) x2

Colo Colo (Chile), Monterrey (Mexico) x1

Club World Cup

Pumas (Mexico), Chivas (Mexico) x2

Santos (Brazil), Barcelona (Spain), Chelsea (England), Liverpool (England), Paris Saint-Germain (France), Arsenal (England) x1

[City2000]

Exciting season, bad luck on just missing out on the league and thats a real tough one to take in the CL semi's. Still, looks like you have put together a good squad

And Group A looked a cracker at the World Cup!

[ShyBaldBuddhist]

Great to see Dundee split up the Old Firm.

[SnakeXe]

SnakeXe's Career - Season 11 Preview - Werder Bremen

Board Expectations:

1. Bundesliga - Title challenge (Predicted 4th out of 18)

DFB-Pokal - Final

Champions League - First knockout round

My Expectations:

1. Bundesliga - I'd very much like to regain the title this year

DFB-Pokal - Have a go at winning it, but I'll be playing my backups until the semi-finals

Champions League - Quarter-finals should be the target - a group win would be good as well

Budgets:

Transfer: £8,266,309 (£7,080,000 remaining)

Wages: £862,309/week (£764,112/week currently)

Balance: £47,350,953 (£12,931,920 since last season)

Squad:

Just one high profile addition in the form of Turmus, with Coentrao retiring and Boulanger no longer required after Cubukcu's rapid progress.

Key Men:

Goalkeeper/Defence

Gil - DC - If he stays fit this season we have a world-class player.

Midfield

Bora Turmus - AMRL/ST - If he's as good as he looks then Eryilmaz will have nowhere to hide if he doesn't recapture his form.

Careca - M/AMC - Good progress last season, let's hope he can rise another level this one.

Strikers

Tainha - AMC/ST - He was either unplayable or unbearable last season, facing the ignominy of being outscored by both his backup and our inside left. We need him back to his best if we're to collect a trophy this year.

[SnakeXe]

Must have been rubbish just missing out this time.

The Fiorentina result must have been hard to take, should have won it by a couple of goals. Better luck next year

Exciting season, bad luck on just missing out on the league and thats a real tough one to take in the CL semi's. Still, looks like you have put together a good squad

And Group A looked a cracker at the World Cup!

Thanks all! Yeah Group A was top-quality action, haha. Although we shouldn't be too snooty as Egypt did make it to the final...

Great to see Dundee split up the Old Firm.

Yeah they finally managed it last season! Interesting to see which leagues and tournaments have a hegemony over them (the Tunisian clubs in the African Champions League for example) and which are more open.

[SnakeXe]

A nice little landmark against a team from outside the playable leagues.

[deltablue]

Should have a bit of a party then.

[abulezz]

Turmus is pure class! Congrats on the impressive landmark!

[SnakeXe]

Should have a bit of a party then.

6-0 was a fitting tribute to my awesomeness I think

Turmus is pure class! Congrats on the impressive landmark!

Cheers! Let's hope he has the impact his ability suggests...

[AK22]

Shame you didn't win one of the major trophies, but not a bad season overall.

You've certainly got some players capable of winning silverware next season, whether that's Bundesliga, Champions League, or both.

Football in Russia looks pretty boring if you don't live in Moscow

[HotChocolate]

Unlucky last season, good luck this season

[SRL88]

Unlucky on missing out on the title...but thats the fun of managing in Germany. So many teams can actually win it!!!! Get yourself to Hoffenheim though & sort that club out will you .

[Nobby_McDonald]

Canada and Egypt had a fabulous World Cup.

[SnakeXe]

Shame you didn't win one of the major trophies, but not a bad season overall.

You've certainly got some players capable of winning silverware next season, whether that's Bundesliga, Champions League, or both.

Football in Russia looks pretty boring if you don't live in Moscow

And Spartak only recently broke the monotony! I'll have to have a closer look at what happened to Zenit, Lokomotiv and Anzhi.

Unlucky last season, good luck this season

Cheers!

Unlucky on missing out on the title...but thats the fun of managing in Germany. So many teams can actually win it!!!! Get yourself to Hoffenheim though & sort that club out will you .

Haha maybe one day!

Canada and Egypt had a fabulous World Cup.

Canada actually offered me the job after the World Cup, I was quite tempted, but I didn't think it was commutable so would have had to resign from Werder to take it.

[SnakeXe]

Just had a real humdinger of a group match against Lyon! We opened the scoring with a great little turn in the box by Baena before conceding twice from crosses to go behind. Subsequently we carved them open repeatedly and couldn't finish but somehow managed two wondergoals through Serkan and Baena!

[video=youtube;DnrzyKljtko]

[Deisler26]

Oof! What a game!

[SnakeXe]

Season 11: Halfway House Update

Two solid opening wins over HSV and Hannover were spoiled by a galling 2-1 defeat at Frankfurt. Four more wins made me forget about that, the pick being a 3-1 win away in Dortmund, where I'd never won before, but then a run of three 0-0 draws in five games was capped off by a shocking 1-0 home defeat against rivals Schalke where we spurned no less than 8 clear cut chances.

After a good, healthy, cathartic, spittle-flecked, hairdrier of a rant at the players, they got the message and responded with four wins on the trot to see us two points clear at the top over the winter break.

The DFB-Pokal was simple enough, a 6-0 win over Solingen, a side from outside the playable leagues, saw us through to face newly promoted Aachen. A solid 3-1 win in that match set us up for a trickier date away at Stuttgart. Having nicked a 3-2 win in the equivalent league fixture just a week previously, we had the psychological edge. Bora Turmus' wondergoal for the opener was definitely the highlight of his thus-far mediocre career in Germany, but it was rapidly cancelled out. Despite creating plenty of chances, the game went to extra time, where we missed a load more to see it go to penalties. Andreas Soder eventually capped a good day for him, as he grabbed the winning penalty for us after making his debut from the bench.

The Champions League saw us pitted in a very tough group thanks to us remaining in the second pot despite two European semi-finals in the last two years. Both English and French champions in Spurs and Lyon, plus Anderlecht, who were no mugs despite their league's lower status. The plan was simple, win our home games and avoid losing the away ones. We followed the plan to perfection - three wins at home, three draws away, and top spot thanks to everyone else falling over each other. Lyon joined us in the draw for the next phase, in which we'll renew hostilities with PSV.

The Good

• On course in all three competitions
  
• We're doing well without any individuals performing particularly outstandingly
  
• Dogan Cubukcu has made some remarkable progress
  

The Bad

• If any one individual player was playing particularly well we'd be a lot further ahead in the league
  
• Serkan Aydin getting badly injured just when he was looking the part
  
• Gil's injury woes continue
  

Results - League Table - Squad

[SRL88]

I think the league is upside down!!!!

[Pangaea]

Looks splendid so far.

You sure know how to write too

[deadfncat]

After a good, healthy, cathartic, spittle-flecked, hairdrier of a rant at the players,

too many adjectives fyi........terrible

[SnakeXe]

I think the league is upside down!!!!

You would

Looks splendid so far.

You sure know how to write too

Thanks, I do try and inject a bit of wordsmithery - often I read it back and it sounds like the ramblings of a maniac, but at least it's a well-meaning maniac who just wants to play some Football Manager before his telephone is finished cooking in the microwave.

After a good, healthy, cathartic, spittle-flecked, hairdrier of a rant at the players,

too many adjectives fyi........terrible

Sorry mate, didn't hear that, was in the dunny - had too many shrimps off the barbie.

[ShyBaldBuddhist]

Looking good so far. Did well to top a tough looking CL group

[HotChocolate]

Unbeaten in the Champions League is a great achievement with that group

[City2000]

Looking great at the halfway stage, good luck for the second half of the season!

[sheeshy]

Greatest thread title ever.

[Pangaea]

Thanks, I do try and inject a bit of wordsmithery - often I read it back and it sounds like the ramblings of a maniac, but at least it's a well-meaning maniac who just wants to play some Football Manager before his telephone is finished cooking in the microwave.

Think you may have played a little too much Football Manager if that's your dinner